President Donald Trump joked that he could have banned fishing and put Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris out of business during a White House Rose Garden dinner Thursday, prompting criticism online over his description of presidential authority as "crazy." The comments came as Trump signed executive orders intended to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on federal lands and waterways.
Trump made the remarks while discussing changes his administration says will increase fishing seasons and quotas. Morris, the billionaire founder of Bass Pro Shops, was among the outdoor-industry figures attending the Sept. 17 event.
"That means you can sell a lot of fishing rods, Johnny. You're going to sell a lot of rods. I could have made it so you couldn't sell," Trump said. "You couldn't sell anything. I could have banned fishing."
Trump then shifted from discussing his fishing policies to the reach of presidential power. "I'll tell you what. The power of this office is crazy. I could have banned fishing and driven Johnny right the hell out of business, okay?" he said as the audience laughed.
He continued the hypothetical by suggesting a temporary prohibition until Morris asked him to reverse it. "I think I'm gonna do that, maybe just a quick order, maybe just for a day or two, till he calls me and he says, Please, President, please, you're putting me out of business, sir."
Trump then returned to his administration's record on wildlife and sport-fishing programs. The exchange was framed as a joke in the context of policies moving in the opposite direction: the orders Trump signed that day seek to increase access to hunting and fishing rather than prohibit it.
Clips of the exchange quickly spread online, where some critics focused on Trump's description of presidential power and his hypothetical ability to disrupt an industry. One X user, Runas Dos Lunas, wrote in a post translated from Spanish: "Trump says, smiling, that he could ban fishing for a couple of days just because the position allows him to. It's not a joke."
The user argued that fishing was tied to food, commerce and local livelihoods and described Trump's apparent casualness about the hypothetical as "wretched," adding: "I feel disgust." The characterization represents the social-media user's reaction to Trump's remarks, not an established assessment of the president's conduct.
Other users offered similar criticism. One wrote, "For anyone who doesn't know what drunk with power means, this here is a great example." Others focused on Trump's delivery, arguing that joking about government action capable of disrupting businesses and livelihoods was inappropriate.
Not everyone interpreted the exchange that way. "Don't take him seriously. He's a natural comedian," another commenter wrote. The transcript shows that Trump wasn't announcing a fishing prohibition: immediately before the hypothetical, he was discussing policies intended to expand fishing opportunities.
The legal reach implied by the joke is also considerably more complicated than Trump's remarks suggested. The executive orders themselves don't assert an unrestricted presidential power to prohibit fishing nationwide. Instead, they direct federal departments and agencies to change policies and regulations within existing statutory authority.
Legal scholars also disputed the suggestion that a president could simply impose a nationwide fishing prohibition. "There is no plausible basis on which he could ban fishing throughout the U.S.," said Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University and author.
Kate Shaw, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, similarly said there is no legal mechanism allowing a president simply to prohibit fishing throughout the country. The White House orders themselves require implementation to remain consistent with applicable law.
Trump's hunting order directs federal officials to expand recreational access on certain federally managed lands, including by generally allowing hunting unless local resource conditions justify restrictions. It also calls for changes involving infrastructure access, wildlife management and the use of traditional lead ammunition and tackle.
A separate saltwater-angling order directs federal agencies to review regulations affecting recreational fishermen, boaters, charter operators and related businesses. The White House said the measure is intended to reduce regulatory burdens and expand recreational access.
The administration says the outdoor recreation sector generates more than $1.2 trillion annually and supports more than five million jobs. Against that economic backdrop, Trump's hypothetical about banning fishing-and his statement that "the power of this office is crazy"-became the portion of the event that generated the sharpest online reaction.
